Trust

A friend sent me a link to a USA Today article about a decline in trust

Of course, people say one thing to survey questions and do another.  Just using the internet requires a lot of trust, whether it is to make transactions, or to share stuff with people that we barely know.

Here's a quote from the article:
The best-known analysis comes from Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam's nearly two decades of studying the United States' declining "social capital," including trust.

Putnam says Americans have abandoned their bowling leagues and Elks lodges to stay home and watch TV. Less socializing and fewer community meetings make people less trustful than the "long civic generation" that came of age during the Great Depression and World War II.

I disagree.  People stay at home more because there is a greater entertainment choice at home now than there used to be.  When we were growing up, there was little to see on TV.  Now people are using the internet.  The TV has become a medium for broadcast and cable channels, for YouTube videos, videos on demand (for free), games, etc.  My grandson plays video games live with his friends yet they are all in separate houses.  This is all possible because of the internet, sophisticated software and powerful hardware.

People are socializing more than ever - thru Facebook, gaming sites, interactive gaming platforms, email, text messaging, live photo sharing sites, etc.  Authors like Putnam may be stuck in an old way of looking at things, in a world that doesn't exist anymore.  That is the problem.  Most people old enough to have the discipline to write a book are too old to be aware of what younger people are doing with the available technology.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même choses - Understanding that underneath the myriad motions of change, the core nature of people remains the same, enables insightful innovators to make a lot of money.

On the subject of trust is another interesting link to a Gallup article on the changing trends of people's trust in politicians and government institutions.